Nani: My Future? I Have A Contract With United

June 7, 2012

Nani has moved to play down any rumours linking him with a move away from the club. He has already started negotiations with United, despite having two years remaining on his current deal, and towards the end of the season claimed “Manchester United is my home.”

Nani goes in to the Euros hoping to win something with Portugal, with only two players (Muller (32) and Rosicky (31)) having created more goalscoring opportunities than Nani (29) when qualifying. Our winger insists that he doesn’t have anything to prove to the manager though and is keen to continue his career at United.

“Like any footballer, I want to play more minutes but I understand and accept what the coach chooses,” he said. “Not all of us can play, and it is a great success for any player to be at Manchester United. I have always said it and I do not regret it: my aim is to be the best in the world and playing at a club like United, I can achieve it. This season, I experienced a different and strange sensation because we did not win anything at the club. The last few minutes of the last game were especially frustrating with the news that came in from City. I do not see the Euros as a chance to prove what I can do for United. And even less so because Ferguson knows me perfectly – and that is why I am at United. Recognition for Portugal has nothing to do with Manchester United. My future? I have a contract with Manchester United and I am relaxed.”

71 Comments

I agree with Denton, he's not a "safe" player, so he'll frustrate you during the course of a game. But look at his stats...40+ assists since the start of 2010. No way in the world can you call him inconsistent IMO, that's hugely consistent.

Flair players like that, you have to look at their season's work. For example Ronaldo is pretty inconsistent during the course of 90 minutes. Probably has like 8 shots, and only 2 go in. Inconsistent! But at the end of the season, when he's racked up 50 goals....can anybody really accuse him of that?

Similar applies to Nani. Might frustrate you for 80 minutes of a game, but check his goals and assists, and you'll see a very consistent player. And that's without looking at the stuff you can't analyse with stats, for example his contribution to our slick link up play in the final third, and the fact that he's constantly making defenders move around with his floating.

Denton ... I couldn't agree more. nani is one of those free spirits who is always trying to push the envelope. Players like that are bound to be inconsistent. "Inconsistent" is just another word for "unpredictable". The day when Nani skinned those two gooners down the right flank, with that astomishing back-heel chip to dink the ball between them, leaving them standing bamboozled and hapless, before skipping across field, beating another gooner around the box, and finishing with an extraordinary chip that caused the gooner goalie to tap in an own goal ... well, I can't think of many players who would have tried that, let alone made it work.

And the point is, he could so easily have botched it. The trick to get inside from where the two defenders had him hemmed on the sideline? That could easily have failed, and he'd have looked like a right dick. Same when he came in and beat the third man. Same for the shot, if he had missed or the goalie had saved it.

Nani is also genuinely two-footed, a rare and valuable trait, and something he has taught himself over the last few years at OT (which shows his commitment to improving himself). He can play left or right, come inside his man or go outside from either side of the pitch, and play through the middle, and shoot with either foot from almost any position.

He is a fine mover, on and off the ball, and has all the attributes necessary (physical, mental and skill-wise) to fit in perfectly with SAF's plan to have a fast, fluid front/middle four or five who are constantly rotating and interchanging with each other. (Well, I believe that is his plan, and I hope it is.) And, like Ando, I don't believe we will see the best of Nani until SAF is able to get that system properly in place. Rooney, Nani, Kagawa, TC, Ando and Young are all capable of playing that way. As soon as SAF and the coaches can figure out how to make it work defensively as well, I think that's what we'll see. And I can't fucking wait.

Time to lay off the lad, I think, and learn to celebrate his uniquely individual style and talent.

I always found those Nani comments 'consistency', 'flits in flits out' etc, kinda immature and veiled. Then I read you last, Denton and felt better. Why does Nani's desire to be the best in the world dismay some of his 'supporters'.

But I am not convinced that SAF truly appreciates Nani and he will leave. He, Ronaldo and Anderson were Carelos's contribution 2 MU, but after he left, both will have noticed that lesser players were preferred and their game time suffered. Ashley Young is no Nani.

StateSideAussie @ 21:05: " SAF’s plan to have a fast, fluid front/middle four or five who are constantly rotating and interchanging with each other. (Well, I believe that is his plan, and I hope it is.) And, like Ando, I don’t believe we will see the best of Nani until SAF is able to get that system properly in place. Rooney, Nani, Kagawa, TC, Ando and Young are all capable of playing that way. As soon as SAF and the coaches can figure out how to make it work defensively as well, I think that’s what we’ll see. And I can’t fucking wait."

Me, too. How many days before the start of the season ?

I couldn't help noticing that you've left out Antonio Valencia - is that an oversight or do you, like me, have a sneaking suspicion that he might just be the right back next season ?

well lads we all have our own take on it and im all for expansive players expressing them selves, all im eluding to with nani is that he is inconsistent, and let's be fair we've seen wazza vent is frustration at him many a time, yes i admire the adventrous and willingness aspect to his game but that dont excuse the fact that at times he'd benefit from a more direct approach. im a fan of nani just think at times he over elaborates then gets caught in possesion. personally i felt during ron's lattter years he became more direct and his decision making improved.

Denton ... g'day mate ... no, I hadn't thought of TonyV shifting to right back, though he is well capable of it. I would certainly prefer him at right back, than Jones: I don't like Jones in that position at all. The reason I left out Tony V was that I see him as very much a traditional, right-side player, rather than someone who would come inside and mix it up in a free-flowing way. I know he has played midfield, but it's not his strength. And before anyone jumps on me: no, I am not dissing him in any way. I think he is wonderful at what he does, and it's a role that will definitely suit us in certain matches. He operates best in a narrow corridor down the side (and strictly the right side), and he absolutely rules that domain. He is lethal going forward wide and deep, but he does track back and defend well too. So yes, the more I think about it, the more I could see him in the right back role (or at least being a more regular option there).

Call me insane but it would be nice to see him in the middle receiving quality service for a change. The sight of Rooney waiting hand on hip is becoming daft when Nani is good enough to lead the United line himself. Fair enough he's been finding his feet since signing but why do we still have him crossing the ball more then he shoots? Nani finishes with aplomb when given the same service the strikers get so lets give him the number 7 and take him off the wing. Its time.

Moses @ 03:15: "Nani should be given a free role rather than playing him at the wings,he should be unleashed and not tied to wings…"

I'd say that differently - Nani is most definitely a winger but he should have licence to roam inside - to use his right foot when coming inside from the left wing and his left foot when coming in from right wing.

His two-footedness is something that neither Ashley Young nor Antonio Valencia have in their locker - it distinguishes him and makes him better than either of those guys in terms of his unpredictability.

It means that we're willing to tolerate "inconsistency" as the price for moments of individual brilliance - to me, that's a price worth paying.

I think to defend with the Nani, Kagawa, Rooney, Young, TC....... type of players is to play 2 defensive midfielders.
Both of whom cover the wide men as well as the CB.

Mercenary City have Toure and Barry/DeJong and keep Nasri, Silva, Cunt Agureo and Troll up as attackers.

If we play, say, Young Kagawa Nani behind Rooney they will interchange but I also think Nani Young and Rooney just have had it instilled into them to cover back.

All hinges on that player to play alongside Carrick. Fletcher would be ideal as he has pace to chase and press, unlike Scholesy who stuggles to chase back. Obviosly Scholes could also play with a quicker defensive player but Carrick and Scholes together did cause us some defensive problems due to their lack of leg speed. Both have great speed of thought though.

denton agree wholeheartdley nani does have moments of individual brillance, the guy has i said in my first post has it all just needed to improve on his consistency and less elaborating, again has you rightly say he's more naturally talented than valencia, and young but with valencia for arguments sake you know when he beats his opponent there'll be a good deleivery into the box's with nani i just feel that at times he'll beat a player but want to beat him again so to speak and his decision making lets him down. hence why you see rooney venting his frustration at him, i beleive that if nani addressed this he'd get the recognation his talent deserves, ronaldo identified it but this does'nt mean to say that i dont appricate nani qualties.

Robbo ... yeah, point taken about defensive duties. As I posted elsewhere (perhaps on a different thread), last season we did actually play this free-flowing, roaming system, and with great effect. We walloped Arsenal's arse with it. But we didn't have the defensive side of it figured out, and that cost us against Shitty. And from there on, I guess SAF pulled everyone's reigns in (injuries didn't help, but there was a definite tactical shift after the Shitty match, and I feel certain that arose from concerns about our inability to defend while playing the free-form way).

So what's the answer? I think it depends on the circumstances, meaning: the opposition. In some cases we might need two defensive midfielders, which would restrict us to four central/attacking players who could mix it up. Sometimes, we might only one need one defensive MF (which could be written many ways, but basically boils down to a 415, with the 1 sitting back and the other five roaming). Or we might use a more conventional 442, with two wingers. Or, against sterner opposition, it might be more of a 433/451 set-up.

Still another part of the answer might be this: although I despise tikka-takka of Barcelona, I have always given them credit for their pressing game. They work as a unit, based off the "Total Football" idea that when other team's got the ball, everyone's a defender. In other words, defensive strength comes from everyone working as coordinated unit in an aggressive action to close you down and get the ball back.

I don't know that we would go down that path, because it seems the most difficult part of Barca's game, and therefore the most difficult thing to emulate. But we, on occasion, have been good at "closing down" teams ourselves, and the general concept of everyone working hard to get the ball back seems to be an efective form of "defense".

i wud definately have Tony V at RB as that would be òur very own Cafu!...therefore he would still be able to contribute going forward without interuptting the interchangeability of the forwards - Nani, Young, Kagawa, Rooney etc and the reason I say that is because he soley uses the right foot whereas the aforementioned players use both!...and should as rumour has it that we get Modders then a very interesting team will develop next season (however a no.2 is VERY much needed to help Fergie mould the team into what it should be!!...come back Carlos!!)
De Gea -
Tony V - Rio - Vidic - Baines
Carrick (?) -Modders
Nani -Kagawa - Young
Rooney